There are many types of items in the world that belong to sets of items. For example, many such sets of items are garment items that come in pairs of two to match aspects of human anatomy. Among these are, for example, socks, shoes, mittens and gloves. Many other sets of items also exist. Further for example, sets of china and silverware typically with multiple pieces that belong together. Multiple information-recording media such as DVDs and CDs, videotapes and other tapes, computer disks, or even volumes of books can come together in sets. Likewise, tools often come in sets of items, as can toys, games (e.g., chess boards), and numerous other commonplace items.
Sets of items often include or are solely made up of numerous items of the same or similar type. Yet many other sets of items include or are made up of items that differ from one another in various ways. In some circumstances, the items of the set can be significantly different from one another. For example, in the case of a tool set as mentioned above, the set could include a hammer, a saw, a screwdriver, and a drill, each of which is considerably different from the other items in the set. In other circumstances, the items of the set can be similar albeit complementary with one another. Again for example, a pair of socks will often include a left sock and a right sock that are different from one another and yet complementary. Pants and a coat of a suit likewise can be considered as complementary items. Further for example, a pen and a complementary cap for the pen can be thought of as a set of items that are complementary.
While sets of items of these and other types are often of great value, such sets of items can lose much of their value when one or more of the items of a given set become lost or difficult to locate. The loss or misplacement of an item of a set can, indeed, be of great irritation to the owner or user of a set of items. While sometimes the item of a set becomes disassociated from the other item or items of the set in a way that would irrevocably prevent its reassociation with the set, this is not always the case. In many cases, a lost or difficult-to-locate item of a set is very close to, or relatively proximate to, the other items of the set, notwithstanding the fact that at the present moment it cannot be found by the person looking for it. For example, a tool, toy, game piece, or garment item (e.g., a shoe) of a set of such items often cannot be found even though the missing item is still located, along with the other items of the set, within the house/domicile of an owner or user who is looking for it.
Indeed, in some circumstances a person will know the general location of an item and yet not be able to associate that item with the other item(s) in the set. Further for example, a person can have before them a pile of thirty socks and yet be unable (without significant effort) to match a given sock with its mate within the pile of socks, or even with one of several possible mates within the pile of socks.
For at least these reasons, therefore, it would be advantageous if a new system (and/or apparatus/device) and method could be developed that, in at least some embodiments, facilitated the identification, location, finding, matching, and/or other association of items of a set.